Work Text:
“Splatsville is such a vast city. There are plenty of things here!” New three exclaimed. Stares were thrown at her from each direction, but she didn’t care.
Marie did care. She stared back at all the stares which took effect immediately when all the inklings and octolings who were staring stopped. she spoke softly under her disguise that briefly covered her face, “We try not to grab ourselves attention Three.”
The newbie gave a thumbs up, changing the position of her strapped hero shot strapped on her back, and jauntily walked to the several stores the city had to offer, walking up to street vendors with seafood of their own. In Marie’s opinion, no food or dessert was better than Crusty Sean’s. Too bad he went traveling all over the world.
As the agent bought most of the food, Marie waited patiently. She had recently scanned the area with her own eyes like a security camera only shifting when she had to. Three had noticed her subtle behavior while she scanned, but chose to ignore it.
Three was always intimidated by Marie, everything about her. The jokes, her stance, and when she’s on the field. It was always the jokes, sometimes she doesn’t even know if she’s actually joking at times.
Callie once told her that she wasn’t always like this. She learned about how Octavio kidnapped her and how a volunteer agent was able to rescue her to reunite her with her cousin. After that mission, she showed more intent in certain decisions when the group was on trial and was intuitive enough to see through anyone. She was sharp and cunning more than she was before in fact.
Well, that could be maturity growing. She is no longer a teen with a newscast after all.
New three had noticed the toll of the recent events, and she was insistent, telling herself that she needs to help her and be by her side. It never happened… It was because of the fear of being rejected for being a shoulder to lean on.
Marie showed her appreciation, “The sun sure is giving us its all.”
The newbie shook off the trance, “Y-yeah, I guess it’s nice.”
She started again, “Why don’t we go shopping? I’m sure we’ll find something there.”
Marie only hummed in response. The newbie sure wasn’t an expert in humming, but her gut told her it was a yes.
---
The sun was at its peak around the shopping area. Three had been loaded with bags full of clothes and food from various locations. Her arms were vibrating like the heatwaves seen from afar.
At this time, Marie had taken off her coat, something she never does, even around the new agent. “Maybe we should take a look at one last store.”
Three groaned, “How many things?! No offense, but can’t you just order online??”
“There are many things I enjoy in life. Those of which is to walk around and move to get my things than wait for a package to arrive at my door, only to pay for the shipping fee.”
Her groan intensifies as they continued their stroll. The store Marie chose was by far the strangest, lacking outside decor and even the sense of light inside. Marie stood there with her hands behind her back as if she was expecting some high-quality treatment.
The shop's sensor bell rang and the shop owner who was currently in the store's shadow yelled, “Welcome! Feel free to look around, you may find something you’ve been wanting for a long time.” The owner continued placing items for sale on the metal shelves that were surprisingly strong even with its rusty appearance.
A Shiver, well not the actual Shiver, but just the feeling of a shiver went through an elevator of vertebrae in Agent 3. “Did we have to stop here?”
Marie’s lips curled into a smile toward the agent as her eyes moved side to side on each shelf in each aisle, though there were only three aisles, two excluding the aisle with the cashier desk. Near the end of each aisle, she could hear a faint sound coming from a door, it sounded like muttering or someone talking.
The shop owner had seen her and said, “That’s the manager’s office, if you’d like to see him, you’d have to ask for my approval.”
The door creaks, showing light, light from the sun that is, as the so-called manager walks out with one step, “...Thank you, I’ll see you soon. Okay. Bye.”
The green inkling that had slicked back hair looked up from his phone to see the owner and the gray inkling conversing right in front of his door. The gray inkling was most peculiar, she had dark green tips that weren’t really hidden by the disguise she wore. Then came the other yellow inkling, carrying a ton of bags, most of them made out of paper.
His blue eyes had spotted the holster on her back, it was big enough to hold one thing he knew it can hold… A hero shot.
He shut the door almost automatically at the glance of the weapon.
“Hey!” New three had dropped all the bags, knocking on the door, “Open up!”
The shop owner had disappeared after Marie had a glance at the manager. She scoffed, “C’mon, we are going to see what this guy is doing.”
Marie took charge, readying her stance, Three yelled, “Wait don’t kick the-”
By then Marie had full-blown karate chopped the door in half. Three had groaned once more.
"Tell me why we are chasing the guy?"
"He saw your gun, maybe he ran off because he is a spy."
She shrugged, "Fair enough."
Papers were scattered all over the petite compartment of the shop, and the green inkling was nowhere to be found. “He might be a clever one, but not that clever.”
Marie pointed to the window, that was just above the manager's desk.
“Do we really have to cause a scene?”
“It’s a city full of chaos, why would anyone care?”
Three jumped through the window sill and ran out of the alley to spot the green inkling who had busted his way through the streets. Three did the same but were interrupted by a street vendor trying to sell his goods to her. She pushes the vendor aside, yelling out a quick, “Sorry!” as she ran.
The inkling’s brows furrowed, noticing that the yellow inkling was on his tracks, climbing the stairs, hopping onto the rails of the stairs, and swinging to the top of the roof.
Three could’ve stopped there, but just when her agility cut short she threw a burst bomb at the wall, turning into a squid, and surging up the wall like in a turf war battle. She ran jumping across several rooftops, catching up to the inkling.
She sped up her pace, but soon realized the inkling had stopped and had run in the other direction. The agent panted, sweat had appeared on her forehead. She can’t keep running or jump forever.
Marie would be pissed that she let him go. There was no chance to catch up to him.
—-
The green inkling fell to the dark alley, making sure left, right up, and down that, no one was behind him. He was being hunted for no reason at all! He was just doing his job when he saw two inklings. There was nothing familiar about either of them, well, to him.
As he showed himself in the sunlight, he felt a strong force tug him back. He was forced against the tough brick wall.
“Alright alright, I’ll stop running!” he yelled.
It was the gray inkling that was beside the yellow one. She whispers into his ear, “Shut up, you’ll make a scene.”
Something unusual came out from his mouth as he grew a smirk, “Oh I’m not worried about that Cuttlefish.”
Marie's grin grew into a smile. She had recognized the voice, “Why the run then?”
The inkling, spoke softly, moving his face towards her, “Just shut up, let me kiss you.”
A passionate kiss was shared between the two with the green inkling pinned to the wall. They continued and the gentle embrace intensifies as he smoothly moved around the shape of Marie’s body. She moans at the feeling of the little dance movements around her body. They wished to continue, but a certain someone interrupted their playtime.
“WHAT?!” Her jaw dropped to the ground, her eyes wider than a pie cooked fresh.
Marie was flushed all over, clearing her throat, “Agent 3, this is Agent 4. He is my Boyfriend.”
Agent 4, who was also flushed in his green ink color, sent a salute to the newbie, “Hello! I guess that chase was wild.”
“WHAT THE FU–” The New Agent fell flat to the ground, astonished about what she saw and figured out. And in her state of unconsciousness that’s when she finally realized.
That was the reason Marie agreed to go shopping.